aftermath
by Khayr
Summary: Dredd fought through scrambling medics and other personnel, forcing his way past a clump of Psi Judges before he arrived at the last door in the intensive care unit. He ignored the collective calls of protest from the hallway behind him. No one was going to stop him right now.


Some wishful thinking from IDW's Judge Dredd comic-verse. Some mild spoilers within if you haven't read them yet.

* * *

It wasn't until everything had begun to settle down that the weight of what had happened finally sunk in. Dredd fought through scrambling medics and other personnel, forcing his way past a clump of Psi Judges before he arrived at the last door in the intensive care unit. He ignored the collective calls of protest from the hallway behind him.

No one was going to stop him right now.

Dredd opened the door and slipped inside, finding it blessedly empty of other people. His eyes settled on the form occupying the hospital bed. With the door shut behind him the only sound filling the room was the soft _beep_ of medical equipment and the occasional _whrr_ of something mechanical.

"I thought that was you I felt coming."

With everything that had happened, Dredd felt the knot form in the back of his throat before he could crush the feeling back down again. He had been there, had seen her broken body laid out in the morgue. It was the worst kind of pain, the knowledge that it was _his_ fault, _his_poor judgement that had gotten her killed. Part of him still believed he was dreaming even now.

Anderson.

"You should be resting," he mumbled as he crossed the room, stopping when he reached the foot of the bed, "They said they're surprised you survived." He hesitated before he came around to the side, gaze looking anywhere but at her. There was no hiding the dark circles under her eyes, and especially not how gaunt and frail she looked. She had certainly seen better days.

"I _am_ resting," she shot back, struggling with herself to sit up and slide closer to that side of the bed, "Absolutely. No question." He frowned at her, but made no move to force her back down. She was as stubborn as he was most days. Anderson stifled a quiet grunt of pain as she swung her legs off the bed.

"They're going to strap you down in here if you keep that up," Dredd rumbled, reaching to pull his helmet off and drop it onto the bedside table, "I'm not coming to rescue you when they do." She chuckled quietly and reached for him; he caved and allowed her to pull herself up, using his arm to steady her balance. Once on her feet she leaned into him, arms locking around his chest in a fierce embrace. Her face disappeared into his shoulder, and after he had finished his hesitating he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as tightly as he dared in her condition.

"You went to Titan," she mumbled, voice muffled. He wasn't sure if she was rooting around in his head or if someone had already filled her in on everything that had happened. "You lied to Cal to try to save me."

His chest tightened with an unfamiliar feeling. Even with that sacrifice he had been too late… and she-

"It's over now," Anderson cut in. The way her frame had tensed against his told him she had been prying at his thoughts. "You couldn't have known all of this would happen, Joe." She tilted her head back to look up at him; his eyes caught a miniscule white scar on her forehead where Tarjay's bullet had found its mark. His frown deepened again. The speed-heal machine had smoothed over the worst of it, at least, but it served as a reminder that he had _failed _her.

"_Hn_," he grunted in response, pressing his cheek to her hair and squeezing a bit just to make sure he wasn't dreaming, "I suppose." It was never over in this city. Another problem would rise up again soon enough and they'd be back at it trying to keep everything in order. That was life as a Judge. He'd accepted it a long time ago, and he knew she had as well.

Dredd felt her muscles quiver faintly and paused before doing his best to pry her off of him. "Lay back down," he growled quietly, missing the relief that her warmth had brought, "Please." He'd already lost her once… he wanted her healed and fully back on her feet so it wouldn't happen again. Surprisingly she listened, flopping back onto the bed with a soft grunt and curling up beneath the covers again.

"I'm sure you have a city to clean up," she said, watching him as he gathered his helmet and put it back on, "Come visit tomorrow." Her hand reached out and caught his, giving it a good squeeze before allowing him to head towards the door. Dredd hesitated before he twisted the knob, the clamor of the hospital hallway returning in full volume as he opened it.

"I will."


End file.
